In 1897 a small ship sails the Caribbean, trading between the islands. It is the home of a man and girl, runaways wanted for murder and who live in fear of arrest. Casey had once been Emma Delaney, wife of Oliver Foy and mistress of Diablo Hall, one of Jamaica's great houses. A devil had dwelt within Diablo Hall, a devil who meant to break her to his will. When Emma escapes that sinister marriage she wanders across the seas learning the skills that she now depends on. Her life as Casey comes to an end when she is brought penniless to England, where she must face the man who possesses the "evil eye," and when she finds love it brings new danger and an agonizing choice.